Improvement in current-indicators



B W. oxm. CURRENT mmcmon. No.177,840. PatentedMay 23,1876.

N. PETERS. PHOTOMTHOGRAPNER. WASHINGTON. D. C.

\IMPROVEMIENT'INCURRENT-INDICATORS. 1

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 177,840, dated May 23,1376; application filed r April15,1876. r

To all whom itmag concern I cBe it-known that I, B NJAMIN W. HoxiE',

. .of Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, haveinvented certain new anduseful Improvements pertaiuingnto a t CurrentIndicator, of which thefollowingis a specification, reference being badto the 'accentrat longitudinal vertical section. Fig.3 is an end View."7 I This device is intended for insertion inthe feed-water pipe leadingiiitoa-steamboiler, to X denote whether the feed-pump is. workingproperly and forcingacurrentof water through the-pipe into the boiler.IIt-is also intended for other analogous uses', whereit.is desired toknow whether a current is flowing through It has a'valve-body, a, withinterior screwthreads. at the ends, whereby, to connect to the pipe.There is hung within thebodythe swingingvalve b, filling or aboutfilling the aperture at that point. The shaft c.'uponwhich this valve ishung, rotateswith it, and projects through the side of the body a,coming out through the stuffing-box d, and hearing the cam e, on whichrests the broadened foot f of the pillar or rod f,sliding or playing inthe post g, and, pressed down by the spring h. The shape of thebroadened foot f correis a view in sponds to the shape-of the cam e, sothat the downwardpressure ot' the spring tends to bringthe' valve btoposition to close "the current-aperturerbut the spring is only strongenough to eifectthis action, and not strong enough to obstruct thecurrent. The valve is free to swing either way, so as to denote acurrent in either direction, as the pipe may be used for contrarycurrents, and it may be desired to know which way the current isflowing. The shape of the cam corresponds to this double action.

going that when no current is flowing, the cam will stand in theposition represented in Fig. l, but that a passing current will raisethe valve and correspondingly tilt the cam, and. show the direction andamount of the-cur.-

.rent. If desired, (and I have so proposed,) an

index-finger can be attached to the outer end of shaft 0, moving overthe face of a graduated dial, to more accurately indicate the amount ofthe current.

I claim as my invention' In combination, valve 12, with its shaft 0, came, and spring-pillar f, all substantially as described, and for thepurposes set forth.

BENJAMIN W. HOXIE. Witnesses: i

W. E. Snnonns,

R0131. F.'GAYLORD.

"UNITED$TATESTPATENT F Bmm wt-ioxtn ois HARTFORD, GONNECTIOUT,ASSIGNORTO JOHN H. BLINGHAM; SAIDBINGHAM ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TOLYDIA,

It will be readily understood from the fore-

